The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1887-12-16

company with these fellows long. The
next morning found myself in the
hands of d new owner. It was a
| woman. She was not much like Rose
Thornton, but her company was d
blessed change from my recent asso.
Citations. She was a poor, empty,
headed creature, with an expression
less face and an active tongue, and she
considered herself good-looking. Blu:
] could tell stories about her delicate
complexion, her wealth of brown hair,
and her perfect form, that would open
the peoples eyes. However / won't
do it. It's no affair of mine.
Well, to make a long story short,
remained with this girl two or three
days. She went into ecstasies when
her eyes first beheld me, but in a few
minutes she had entirely forgotten me,
and don't believe she would ever
have thought of me again had she not
fell upon me accidentally while send.
ing off batch of Christmas cards tc
her several relatives.
| I passed from hand to hand half
dozen times more, old people and
young, people plain and ugly, cross
people and people good-natured. All
these transfers took many years. 1t
was only the other day that the words
with which this sketch opens were
spoken.
"Well, | never!"
IF that doesn't beat ALL"
The first speaker was woman of ad.
vanced age who, still good-looking,
had once been beautiful None could
look at her without seeing this. She
held in her hand a Christmas card
which she had just taken from its en-
velope. 1t was the gentleman who
stood looking at it over her shoulder
who exclaimed:
eff that doesn't beat allr'
Eyes" said she, sit is the identi ,al
card | sent you many years ago. I
knew it by this bit of enamel scratched
off the back, and see, here are my mi
tials, r. t. under the fringe, where
nobody would ever look for them. Even
you did not find them, Charles. But
then you didn't have it very long in
your possession. did you, dearP''
"No," twining his arm about her
waist; "but | have had something bet
ter in my possession"
How / envied him the look of pride
and happiness she bestowed on him
then! And really you couldn't blame
her, for he was fne-looking man, not
outstanding the silver threads in his
hair and beard, and Notwithstanding
also that his chin had more folds than
the strict demands of manly. beauty re-
CURED, and Notwithstanding again
that his waist was at least suggestive
of corpulence.
"You can never know, Rose" said
he, show / hated myself that night af-
ter those fellows left me. / sat there
nearly all night, calling myself all
kinds of hard names. 1t was not until
| made up my mind to make amends
that | could think of going to bed, and
even then | could sleep but little. The
next day, you remember"
Eyes, the next day you came and
told me what a mean, contemplate
puppy you were, and you know, as I
was always fond of dogs. I thought I'd
take you and see what could make of
you"
eyes, God bless you, Rose. What
ever l am you have made me-
''This card which came so near part
ing us was, under Gods guidance, the
link which united us so many happy
years ago. Wonder how it ever came
back to us!''
''No matter how it came, dear, so
that we have it. We will look upon
its return not as chance, but as the Gull
mination of that Providence which has
made it the means of our happiness.
1t shall never again go out of our
hands. We viii frame it in the richest
frame that money can buy. and keep it
as tender memorial of that day which
gave me the best woman in the world.''
Some people would say that came
to Charles Beauclerc and his wife the
same as | came to scores OF others, by
mere chance; but I will never believe
it. [ feel that my return to the fair
hands which first folded me in their
fond embrace and to the hands of him
who was saved from himself, big and
strong as he was, by those same little
hands, had in it something far differ
ent from chance. 1t was destiny.
AS look out from my brave frame
and see before me, in their happy
home, this fine-looking gentleman and
his loving help-mate, and / gaze upon
the face of that young woman whose
beautiful face is the very image of Rose
Thornton | once knew; and as | watch
the movements of that curly-headed
boy and his rosy-cheeked sister, who
now and then addressed a second
edition of Charles Beauclerc as
''father" -when l see all this, [ feel
that my faded face beams with its old
time brilliancy, and [ whisper to the
happy circle which I overlook, God
bless you! A merry Christmas to all!''
Boston Transcript
Origin of Some Words.
Mercy and commerce are from the